Passenger-car.



No. 772,741;V

`:Patented October 18, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

'JoHN'oLEARK oijn-coHoEs, NEW YORK.

PASSENGER-CAR.

` SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters meenam. 772,741aatea october 18, 1904.-.

` Appiimioh flied time 23,1904. serial No; 213,849. (No model.)

To (ir/ZZ whom imag/concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN OLEARY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cohoes, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented new and useful 'Improvements in Passenger-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to passengercars adapted for steam, electric railway, and other uses, the improvements being directed .particularly to those cars known as Lsleepers A so-called sleeper ordinarily is provided with lower and upper berths, and it is an eX- ceedingly difficult matter to' enter and leave i an upper berth, this being particularly the case with infirm persons and women.

It is the primary object ofmy invention to provide a simple and effective device whereby access may be readily had by a passenger to an upper berth and whereby'the latter may be as easily left, the means being of such a nature that when not in use it may be housed vin a suitable compartment where it is` not visible.

, In the drawings accompanying and forming la part of this specilication I have-illustrated one simple and convenient adaptation of the invention which I will fully disclose in the following description; but I do not limit myself to the exact showing thus made, forcertain variations may be adopted within 'the A scope of my claims succeeding said description.

Referring to said drawings, Figure l is an' in terior view of a portion of a sleeping-car with means associated therewith constructed in accordance with my invention, said means, as shown, including a ladder. Fig. 2 is a view of the upper interior part of the car shown in the preceding figure, representing the ladder ascollapsed or folded and housed within a compartment, the f-ront'portion of the compartment being broken away. Fig. 3 is asectional top plan view of the parts occupying the position indicated in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation, only the upper part of the ladder being shown, andthe panel constituting Vthe cover for the ladder-compartment 'being represented as closed and open by dotted and full lines, respectively.

within a suitable compartment.

`below the ceiling thereof.

Like characters refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings I have represented a portion of a sleeping-car, which may be of the usual construction. To obtain access to each upper berth of the car, I provide'a ladder which, as will hereinafter appear, is collapsible in such a way that it can be folded up v9 and 10, respectively. The links 7 and 8 and 9 and l0 are pivotally connected together 'Such ladder includesk at their inner terminal ends in order to secure a ready iiexion of the same when it is desired to fold the ladder up. rIhe upper end of the ladder is connectedv to the interior of the car at a point under the ceiling or at any other desired place and above the upper berth. This, however, is not essential. Nor do I limit myself to the precise vconstruction of the ladder thus far and hereinafter more particularly described. Onev of the upper links, it will be apparent upon an inspection of Figs. 3 and 4,'

is situated to the rear of the other, and the upper ends of both are pivotally connected to suitable supports, as 11 and l2,v respectively,

shown as pendentbrackets mounted in some convenient manner within the car immediately The rungs of the ladder are denoted by 13, four of the-same being represented, although this number may bev increased or diminished, as desired. rIhe rungs are shown as connect ed simply with the lower linksS and 10 of the ladder, for it is found that this will answer all the purposes for assuring aready entrance to and departure from'an upper berth. It

will be remembered that one of the upper links of the ladder is located to the rear of v the other, and upon inspection of Figs. 3 and lOO 4 it will be seen that the upper ends of the lower links 8 and 10 are located in the space between said upper links, and, further, that one end of each rung is connected to the rear of one lower'link, while the opposite end thereof is connected to the front of the other lower link, by which construction the ladder can be folded into a very small compass. The rungs 13 may be'pivoted to the lower links 8 and 10 in any desirable way. One of the lower links of the ladder, as the link 10, is represented as having near its lower end an eye, as 14, adapted to be detachably engaged with a hook, as 15, on the lower end of the controlling-cord 16, which cord passes between its ends over horiZontally-alined guide-sheaves, as 17, separated a suitable distance and mounted in the car above the upper end of the lad der. What mig'ht be considered the outer terminal end of the cord is provided with a handheld, as 18, represented as a ring.

When the ladder is folded or collapsed, it is adapted to occupy a compartment, shown as formed by whatl term a box, as 19. The box 19 is represented as L-shaped or is substantially right angular in cross-section, the inner portion or bottom of the box being hinged, as at 20, below the upper end of the ladder. rl`he box 19 may be dropped down, as shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 4, for example, in order to obtain access to the ladder for the purpose of lowering the same.

In Figs. 2 and 8 the ladder is shown as folded up or housed within a compartment formed by the drop-down box 19, which latter, it will be perceived, presents, in effect, when closed a panel. When the box 19 is closed, it is held in such relation by one or more catches, as 21. To open the box 19 to reach the ladder, the catches 21 will be o perated to effect the swinging down of the box, whereby the ladder can be readily lowered until the links 7 and 8 and 9 and 10, respectively, assume a vertical position and aline, respectively, with each other. During the time the ladder is being opened the rungs 13 are moving toward a horizontal position, and when the side bars of the ladder are opened and when their lower ends rest upon the fioor of the car said rungs will have assumed a horizontal position, so that the ladder can be readily ascended by a passenger to enter the upper berth, with which said ladder coperates.

To raise the ladder, the inner end of the n cord 16 is pulled down until the hook 15 can be engaged with the eye 14, following which the pull-piece 18 will be drawn down. lVhen said pull-piece is drawn down, the ladder will be elevated, the links 7 and 8 and 9 and vl0 and the rungs 13 folding automatically upon the elevation of said ladder. The ladder will be fully folded when the several links reach a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 2. Then such latter' position is reached, the box 19 will be closed and will be fastened closed by means of the catches 21.

lt will be understood that as the links 7 and 8 and 9 and 10 present when vertical, toggles it will be necessary to impart a slight lateral stress to their joints in order to assure the proper elevation of the ladder.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is-g 1. A passenger-car having a collapsible ladder interiorly thereof, the upper end of which is connected with the ceiling structure of said car, and said ceiling structure having a com partment to house the ladder when not in use.

2. A passenger-ca r having a suitably-m(uinted collapsible ladder interiorly thereof, and means for housing and wholly hiding from view said ladder when the sameis not in use.

3. A passenger-car having in the interior thereof a foldable ladder, a drop-down box to contain the ladder when not in use, and means for holding the box closed.

4. A passenger-car combined with a ladder therein, the side bars of the ladder consisting of upper and lower links pivotally connected together, one of the upper links being situated behind the companion upper link, and rungs flexibly connected with said lower links.

5. A passenger-car combined with a ladder therein, the side bars of the ladder consisting of upper and lower links pivotally connected together, and rungs pivotal] y connected at their ends to the forward and rear sides of the lower links, one of the upper links being situated behind the companion upper link.

ln testimony whereot l have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- Witnesses:

JOHN LYoNs, JAs. .HENRY lnvINo.

lOO 

